Bhutan is a country landlocked in the Himalayas that’s one of the most extraordinary and expensive places to visit. There’s a (now reduced to) $100 a day fee to be in the country and a lack of flights that keeps the masses from visiting. Because of the logistics many people who do want to visit Bhutan, end up having difficulty finding reliable information about it.
You can watch the video above and read the summary below for the most common questions.
Yes, There Really Is A Fee
There’s a $100 a day Sustainability Development Fee (SDF) charged of all foreigners (except for a much reduced version for Indian citizens). You pay the SDF when you apply for the visa, which is around $60 on its own. (It has an infamous 500 error.) You can then book your flights and make the arrangements for a trip and I recommend you look for flights first. (Don’t book just yet.) Bhutan has only one international airport in Paro (here’s where to stay) with only two national carriers flying there – Bhutan Airlines and DrukAir.
There are only flights from a few countries in the region, like India and Thailand, so make sure to have a good idea of your route first as the journey may be longer than you initially anticipated.
A Guide Is Required
There is a lot of confusion about this requirement online and the video above goes in depth. Briefly though, yes, you do need a guide to visit Bhutan with you at all times. Enforcement varies but basically, to enter many of the major tourist sites and temples, a guide is required. You’ll need one to enter any parks too. It’s a requirement Bhutan has in place to protect tourists from the difficult terrain and unpredictable weather.
You can watch these videos to see how the guide requirement is put into practice at various locations. Although technically required, you’ll be able to grab dinner in town without a guide or go to a shop on your own with issues in most cases.
The Bhutanese Department of Tourism has a list of licensed guides though you may also want to hire a licensed driver as well. Sometimes those two overlap but in other cases, you’ll need to hire two people to get around the country.